The Way Things Are Now
by bebravelauren
Summary: During the eight years after Titanic sank, Rose moved in with a nice family, still believing that Jack was dead, but when she discovers that Jack is alive and engaged, like her, will old feelings surface, or are the way things are now changing the past?
1. Chapter 1

**I'm so excited for this story! OMG THIS IS GOING TO BE A VERY SUSPENSFUL ONE TOO! Ahhhhhhhh, let me just get started!**

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

"This one seems ripe." Caroline said as she picked up an apple. I smiled weakly and put it into the basket that her mom had given to me to bring with us to the market.

"Yeah, sure." I mumbled. Caroline squeezed my shoulder.

"Rose, you okay?" she asked me worriedly. I smiled again and nodded. She removed her hand slowly and placed it back into the apple container, picking out another perfectly red one and placing it into the basket.

"The wedding planning is probably just stressing you out." Caroline explained. I sighed, and ran my fingers through my hair. "Oh that reminds me, mom said your fitting was changed to tomorrow at four instead of five." I smiled again and kept walking closely by her side.

Caroline began speaking again, something about pink roses for a beautiful centerpiece, but I was lost in my thoughts as I watched the sun set yet again.

_"Why can't I be like you Jack? Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it!"_

_"Ha, you wouldn't last two days. There's no hot water and hardly any caviar."_

"Rose?" Caroline questioned, dragging my head out of the clouds. I looked at her, confusion plastered all over my face.

"What?" I wondered. She looked at me, eyebrow raised and held my hand nervously.

"I said, maybe we should get going?" I nodded as I squeezed her hand a little tighter, scared that I was going to cry.

"We're home!" Caroline yelled as we stepped into _Joe's._ I placed the basket on top of the counter, and hung up my jacket on the coatstand.

"Oh good!" Mrs. Peters said as she came out of the kitchen carrying a tray of flapjacks. She set them down in front of a family of four, and wiped her hands.

"What did you two get?" she asked. Caroline tilted the basket in her direction, and Mrs. Peters smiled.

"Oh they'll be perfect for applie pie!" she cried. I smiled weakly and sat down on one of the bar stools.

"She's in her "phase" again." Caroline whispered to Mrs. Peters. I smiled and rolled my eyes. Mrs. Callaghan walked around the bar and stood in front of me.

"Want to talk about it?" she asked. I shook my head.

"No, that's quite alright." I told her. She sighed and walked back into the kitchen where Joe was whipping up another round of pancakes. As Will came walking down the stairs, he smiled instantly when he saw me.

"Hi sweetheart!" he yelled as he ran over to me. I smiled and stood up. He gave me a small kiss on the lips and continued to smile.

"What's with you?" I asked suspiciously. He laughed as he sat me back down. He pulled out a small box and placed it in front of me.

"Will, is this-"

"Yes," he said. "I worked extra hours and shifts just to get it for you." I smiled and slowly opened the red velvet box. Inside was a perfectly round, somewhat large, diamond.

_God! Look at that thing! You would've gone straight to the bottom!_

"It's not as big as before." I said, mostly to Jack and myself.

"What?" Will said, very confused. I stared at him wide eyed, then smiled

"I said, It's beautiful!" he smiled and placed the ring on my finger.

"Now it's official," he said. "We're engaged!" Suddenly, my smile turned into a frown.

_"Do you love him?"_

_"Pardon me?"_

_"I said, do you love him?"_

"Rose, did you hear me?" Will asked, returning me back to reality. I smiled and held his hand.

"Of course I did, and I am just as excited as you. Your sister thinks pink roses will be a nice centerpiece for the dinner tables." I informed him. He smiled as he stood up and kissed me on the head.

"Whatever you want." he said. I smiled and patted his hand.

"Will," Mrs. Peters said as she came out of the kitchen. "We're out of milk, would you pick some up while you're out?" Will smiled as he put on his coat.

"Sure mom." he replied. As he opened the door, he turned around quickly.

"Oh, good louck with the job." he said. I smiled and waved as he walked out of the door.

I examined the ring on my finger and sighed.

"Don't worry," I whispered to myself, and a little to Jack. "He'll never replace you."

As I walked into the large school building, I couldn't help but feel completely alone. I walked over to the room that had a large sign saying, "office".

"Um, hello," I said to the woman sitting at the desk. "I have an appointment with Mr. Leonards." The woman looked up briefly.

"You Miss. Dawson?" she asked me. I smiled slightly and scratched my neck.

"Mhmm." She groaned and got up from the desk, then walked into the hall.

"Follow me." she instructed. I followed her down the long corridor to another small room. Inside sat a man, also at a desk, and tacky pieces of furniture.

"Sir, your three o'clock is here." she informed him. The man turned around and took off his glasses.

"Ah, Miss. Dawson, pleasure to meet you." he said. I smiled and sat down in the chair in front of him. He reached out his hand and I shook it.

"The pleasure is mine." I replied. The woman rolled her eyes and left.

"Sorry about Mrs. Pinciatti, she doesn't like training new employees." he told me. I smiled and laughed a little to myself.

"Well Miss. Dawson, you seem very qualified for this teaching position, it looks like you already have the job." my face lit up instantly and I smiled.

"Oh sir, thank you so much, that means quite a lot." I told him. He smiled and stood up once again.

"Rita!" he called. The same woman came strolling back in.

"Yes, sir?" she questioned. He smiled and pointed back to me.

"Would you please bring Miss. Dawson to Miss. Jenkins room, I thought she would enjoy training our new employee." he said. The woman smiled and walked back out into the hall. I followed her once again until we got to a small classroom.

"The children are at lucnh." she informed me. I nodded and walked over to the other woman once "Rita" had left.

"Miss Jenkins?" I wondered. The blonde woman turned around and smiled.

"You must be Rose," she said. "Nice to meet you." she stuck out her hand. I shook it and smiled.

"Same." I said. The woman smiled and wiped her hands on her skirt.

"Oh and please, call me Elise." she said. I nodded and looked around.

"It's, quaint." I said. She chuckled and sat back down at her desk.

"Yeah, I guess it is." she responded. I sat down at one of the children's desk, and smiled.

"Is this a fun job?" I asked her she smiled and laughed.

"The pay isn't great, but if you love children, then yeah, it's fun." I smiled.

I do love children.

"Well," Elise said. "Tomorrow is your first day, and from what Jonathan said, you seem more than qualified so I don't really know what to tell you except for, good luck!" I smiled and stood up.

"Thank you." I said. As I started to walk out of the room, she called after me.

"Um, hey Rose," she said. "My fiance and I are going out to dinner friday night, if you would like to join us." I smiled in the doorway.

"That would be lovely," I said. "But would you mind if I brought along my fiance as well?" she laughed.

"Of course not! We'll make it a double date." she told me. I smiled and continued out of the room.

"Hey!" Will said as he walked through the door. I smiled as I carried a mug of beer to a man at the bar.

"Hello." I replied. Will hung up his coat and hat on the coatstand and came over and kissed me on the cheek.

"What happened with the job?" he asked me, voice filled with excitement. I smiled and place the mug down on the board.

"It went great, we even got invited to dinner on Friday." I informed him. He picked me up by the waist and spun me around.

"That's great!" he cried just before kissinng me. I laughed.

"Mhmm, her fiance will also be joining us." I said. He smiled again as he put me down.

"Well then, we have two days to become, "proper"." he said as he stood up straight and tall. I chuckled. He almost reminded me of Jack for a moment.

_"I saw that in a Nickelodeon once and always wanted to do it."_

_"Haha."_

_"Shall we?" he asked, standing up straight and tall._

"Rose?" Will said, suddenly looking concerned.

"Right, right, well, I am feeling awfully tired, would you excuse me?" I asked. He nodded, eybrow still raised, and i scurried up thhe stairs.

_Ugh, Rose, stop being sad,_ I thought. _This lovely family took you in when you had no where else to go, you have a lovely fiance, a lovely new job, and a lovely new friend, what is there to complain about?_

But as I walked into my room and laid down on the bed, I realized that there was something to complain about...

_"I'll never let go Jack, *WHACK* I promise... *MWAHH*."_

I wiped away tears that were now streaming down my face, and sighed.

"I promise." I whispered.

"Come Josephine in my flying machine going up she goes, up she goes..." I silently sang to myslef, as I slowly drifted asleep.

**YAYYY! Finally I got to this amazing story! I've had writer's block with the story for about a week, uhhhh, it feels great to write it! Chapter 2 will be posted sometime tomorrow:))**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wahoo, chapter 2! *Hey that rhymes, hehe:)* Anyways, this one is going to be kind of boring, or so I think. I don't know I haven't written it yet! Ahahahahaha, ahh...**

**I'll just start writting now...**

**Love,**

**Lauren:)**

**P.S. Oh Aren, don't worry, I will post them ALL soon:)**

Friday morning, as I sat on the edge of the bed staring at the Heart of the Ocean, I was suddenly disturbed by a knock on the door. I quickly slid the necklace underneath me and ran my fingers through my bed hair.

"Come in." I said. Joe came through the door and sat down on my bed.

"Carol said you were in one of your "phases" yesterday." he informed me. I half laughed half scoffed, then sighed, as I laid my head on his lap.

He truly was a father to me.

And the only one that new my secret.

"Yeah." I confessed. He sighed and patted my head.

"You miss him?" he asked. I sighed and looked away. I wanted to say, _Of course I miss him!_, but he was my fiances father, and that would be, well, quite awkward.

"I don't," I confessed. "I guess." He smiled and lifted me up.

"That's normal," he informed me. "It's going to take time." I raised my eyebrows and smiled.

"Well could you possibly tell me how long, 'cause I'm kind of marrying your son in about a month." I said. He laughed, and so did I, then gave me a large hug.

"C'mon," he finally said after a moment. "Let's go help with breakfast."

Friday, for some unbenounced reason, is our busiest morning. I however couldn't stay long seeing that I start my new job.

"Alright," I said. "I should get going." Will smiled as he set down a plate of eggs in front of a small woman, abdnormaly dressed very formal. Suddenly, a picture flashed through my mind...

_"Oh, and this lady... She used to sit at this bar every night, wearing every piece of jewelery she owned, just... Waiting, for her long lost love..."_

"Rose?" Will asked nervously. I shook out of my daze and smiled at him.

"I'm sorry darling, what did you say?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could. He smiled and waved.

"Good luck!" he said. I smiled, then waved back, and headed out the door, grabbing my jacket on the way out.

"Alright, kids," I said to the eager children that sat before me. "You may go to lunch." They all jumped out of their seats and ran out the door. I chuckled to myself, still remembering when I was that young.

Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door frame.

"Hey." I said once I had turned around and saw Elise standing in the door way.

"Hey. I just wanted to tell you that we'll meet you guys at Manicottis tonight, say around seven?" she asked. I smiled and made a wuick mental note.

"Sounds good." I said. She smiled, and walked around for a moment, before noticing the name tag on my desk.

"Ha, that's funny," she said. "My fiance's last name is Dawson too." I froze.

_No, Rose, _I thought. _Don't be absurd._

"Ha," I said, dismissing my insane thought. "Small world." She smiled and headed back out the door.

"See you tomorrow!" She called from behind her. I smiled and sat down at my chair.

"Ahh, Rose, Rose, Rose," I said aloud. "You always did have a wild imagination."

"Hey!" I said to Caroline as I walked into the restaurant.

"Hi," she replied. "How was work?" I smiled and hung up my coat on the coatstand.

"It was surprisingly pleasant." I said. She smiled, then threw a rag at me.

"I'll wash, you dry." she instructed. I rolled my eyes and laughed, then went to stand next to her at the sink.

"Oh good, Rose you're home." Mrs. Peters said as she strolled down the stairs.

"Um ,yes, why? Do you need something?" I asked. She smiled and handed me about five dollars.

"Yes," she said. "Would you mind running to the market and picking up some things, we got practically wiped out today." I smiled and took the money from her.

"Of course."

"But don't take too long," she added. "I don't want you and Will to miss your dinner date." I smiled and grabbed my coat, then headed out the door.  
>_<p>

When I had got back from the market with a car load of items, it was just about time for Will and I to leave, so I hurried in the groceries as fast as I could.

"Hey," WIll said as he saw me walk in. "Ready to go?" I set down the bags on the counter and sighed.

"Actually, no," I said. "I have to go change. Would you mind bringing in the rest of the food?" He smiled and headed out the door.

"Of course not." he said on his way out. I smiled and ran up the stairs.

I pulled out a a dark blue, floor length dress and shimmied into it quickly. I pinned my hair back loosely and let some curls hang in front of my face. As I walked over to my large mirror, I reminded myself of the way I looked when Jack and I stood at the bow of the ship.

I quickly shook the memory out of my head and grabbed the silver scarf that was hanging on the back of the door.

As Will watched me walk out of the restaurant, he went wide eyed.

"Wow," he said as I walked over to the car that he was standing in front of. "You look beautiful." I smiled and stepped into the car.

Only minutes later, we arrived at the small restaurant located on the corner of the street. Will stepped out of the car first and opened my door. I smiled and took his hand and slowly sstepped out of the car. Suddenly, a memory flashed through my mind as I lifted up my head. It was of the first time I saw the Titanic. I quickly shook the memory and continued up the stairs of the restaurant. At first glance, we didn't see Elise, so we walked up to the young waitress who was standing at the podium.

"Hi," Will said. "We're supposed to be meeting someone here." The girl looked up quickly, and smiled.

"Name?" she asked. I smiled and stepped forward a tiny bit.

"Jenkins." I replied. She smiled and started to walk towards the back.

"This way." she called. I smiled at Will and squeezed his arm as we followed the girl. She led us around back to a small room with only four or five tables, and I saw Elise sitting at one in the middle of the room. She looked up from her menu and smiled. I waved over to her and continued walking. The girl set down two extra menus and smiled as she quickly exited.

"Hi!" I said excitedly as Elise gave me a small hug.

"Hey, how are you?" she asked. I smiled and held Will's arm as we sat in our seats.

"Good. Elise, this is Will, my fiance." I siad. She smiled as Will took her hand and kissed it.

"Pleasure to meet you." he said. She blushed a little, then giggled.

"Pleasure is mine." she replied. "My fiance is in the restroom, I'm sure he will be back any moment." I smiled at Will, then lifted up my menu to my face so I could read the small font. I suddenly heard footstep behind Elise.

"Oh good, you're here." Elise said to whoever came through the room. "Jack, this is Rose and her fiance Will." All of a sudden, butterlies flew through my stomach. I shook it off quickly, thinking this was only a coincidence.

"Hi," Will said. "Nice to meet you." out of the corner of my eyes I saw him stick out his hand, and saw the other man shake it.

"Same." a familiar voice said. I slowly lowered my menu, and suddenly, my heart froze. I blinked my eyes twice and almost gasped. I didn't know what I was staring at. Was it a ghost? Could it really be him? It sure looked like him. I looked into his blue eyes and realized that it had to be him, it was him. I'd know those eyes anywhere. He stood in awe as well, wide eyed, and looked me over suspiciously. I bit my lip and sighed.

"Uh, um, hello." I said, slowly breaking the silence. He smiled awkwardly and sat down.

"Jack, Rose's last name is Dawson as well." she informed him. He looked at me, eyes peered, and I turned away quite embarassed.

"Well," Will said, knowing that I felt quite awkward. "What proffesion are you currently in Mr. Dawson." Never mind. He was still staring at me, but quickly looked at Will.

"I, I, um-" he began. Elise looked at him curiously, and smiled at Will.

"Jack is quite an amazing artist, but before he get's his big break, he's working as a tour guide at the local museaum." Elise informed us. I smiled slightly.

_"What are you an artist or something?"_

"Right, Rose." Will said. I looked at him curiously and frowned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, what did you say dear?" I asked him nervously. He smiled and looked at Jack.

"I said, Rose is very interested in art, aren't you?" I smiled nervously.

"Um, yes, I, I always liked art," I said, then I looked at Jack. "Especially Monet." He smiled and looked away quickly.

"Monet," Elise said. "Oh, well he's Jack's favorite." I bit my lip and sighed.

"I know." I said under my breath. Elise smiled at me.

"Rose," she said. "Tell us how you were in those couple of moving picture films, that sounds so very fascinating." I looked at Jack and he smiled. I rolled my eyes and looked back at Elise.

"Yes, well I, I was inspired to become and actress when I was quite young, around seventeen, and after I, um, moved, to New York, I auditioned at a local theater and the director thought I would be perfect for one of his films." I said. Jack smiled and took a sip of water.

"Uh, Will," he said after he had swallowed. "What um, what do you do?" Will looked at me and smiled.

"Well, I work at the newspaper during the day, but Rose and I both help out at the restaurant during our free time." he explained. I smiled awkwardly and patted his hand.

"When I, um, came, to New York, I didn't really have anywhere to go, so his parents, who live above their restaurant, let me move in with them." I explained further. Elise smiled and ponited at Will and I.

"So that's how you two met?" She asked. I smiled and nodded. Jack furrowed his brows for a minute before turning away.

"How did you and Jack meet?" Will asked Elise. Suddenly, my heart sank into my stomach.

I was jealous.

"Well," Elise said. "I was going to the museaum with the kids for a field trip when I noticed this extremely handsome tour guide and I just instantly fell in love."

I wanted to puke.

"Very nice." Will said. I stood up, suddenly clostrophobic and smiled.

"Would you escuse me," I said. "I need some air." I walked out of the room, not carin gif they were staring, and opened up the door. I walked over to the steps and sat down. I took a deep breath and sighed, when suddenly I heard the door open from behind me.

"Hi." Jack said. I turned around and stood up quickly.

"Uh, hi." I said. I looked at him for a moment and realized that he hadn't raelly aged. He still looked Jack.

He still looked like _my _Jack.

"So," he said. "You're, here." I smiled slightly.

"Yeah, and so ar you." I said. He smiled and took my hand, then he kissed it.

"De sha vu." I joked. He laughed and sat down next to me.

"I'm, confused." I finally admitted. He furrowed his brow and looked at me.

"Same." he said. I looked behind me at the restaurant and sighed.

"I guess you haven't told her." I said. He raised and eyebrow at me and smiled.

"I guess you haven't either." he replied. I smiled and stood back up. He did the same, then stuck out his arm.

"Shall we?" he asked. I laughed and took his arm. He lifted his head and walked us into the restaurant as I laughed again.

"So," he whispered as we walked over to the table."Dawson?" I laughed and nudged him in the arm.

"What else could I do? I thought you were dead." I replied. He looked at me and smiled.

"I thought you were dead." he confessed. We stopped for a moment and looked at eachother.

"We should talk." he said. I bit my lip and sighed.

"You're right." I said. He smiled and walked us back over to the table. We sat down across from eachother and I instantly thought of the night we had dinner together. He stared at me the same way he did that night, and I did the same.

But why?

Did I still love him?

... Of course I did...

... He's my Jack...

**Ehehehe... good chapter, am I right? Tell me what you think by reviewing!**

**P.S. I think I spelled museaum wrong:) Someone tell me how to spell it please!**

**Rose's Dinner Dress:**

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